Escape to the Country for a Relaxing Break

If you’re worn down and tired from the fast-paced, high-pressured nature of city life, why not take time out to unwind and get away from the hassles and stresses of daily life. You may love living in the city center (who wouldn’t love being so close to work, nightlife, bars, restaurants, and shops?) but there comes a time when you’ve had enough of being available to be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and just time by yourself to switch off and relax.

Studies have shown that there are a growing number of people in their mid-twenties being diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Whilst some of that may be apportioned to the lack of available jobs, a lot of it is because they feel overworked and cannot cope in such a competitive, high-pressured environment.

If any of this is sounding bells in your head, my advice would be to take a long weekend and head off to the countryside. There are so many health benefits to enjoy from simply breathing in fresh air, not to mention you’ll be forced to turn your phone off as there’s likely to be any decent reception. Simply not having to check your phone for messages, emails and other alerts fifty times a day will do wonders for your stress levels, and you’ll be surprised by how much extra time you’ll have on your hands.

There are many beautiful areas of countryside in the UK, so you don’t have to travel far to find the idyllic haven for you. You could go on an organized walking trip, or even plan out your own countryside walk; there are plenty of guides and routes that can be found online. If you fancy treating yourself, you could plan your walk to finish at a lovely country pub where you can take the weight off your feet, sit back and relax with a refreshing drink and hearty home-cooked fare.

There’s usually a local newsagent and a bakery to be found, even in the smallest of villages, so you’ll have easy access to staple items such as bread and milk, as well as a few sweet treats and you can keep up to date with worldly happenings with a newspaper.

The main aim of spending a weekend in the country is to relax and unwind, so it doesn’t matter if you’re not too active. Try to get outside in the fresh air but remember that you are supposed to be resting from the humdrum of everyday life, so if you fancy an afternoon nap, feel free to take one.

Nightlife doesn’t tend to be a big feature of the countryside, so take plenty of DVDs along with you and a blanket to curl up under at night time. You could even use the extra time you have to prepare a healthy home-cooked meal and restore your vitamin and mineral levels that may be low as a result of snatched meals whilst you’re on the go.

Let’s face it though, if you’re on holiday, you might not feel like cooking, so make sure you book your stay in close proximity to a local pub or eatery and keep yourself entertained by chatting to the locals.